Circuit breaker



y so, 1940. c.|-:.1v:-:s in AL 2,209,567 1 CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed April 13, 1939 lizgi.

ra/62275312- O'ZgjOrc/Zfie 6, 7024/1 i/ar Patented July so, 1940 OIRCUIT BREAKER Clifford E. Ives, Wilmette, and John Mark, cm-

cago, 111.; said Mark assignor to said Ives Application April 13, 1939, Serial No. 267,672

10 Claims. (Cl. 200-166) This invention relates to a circuit breaker, and more particularly to breaker points adapted to be used in the ignition system of an internal combustion engine wherein at least one of the points is self-aligning with respect to the other.

One feature of this invention-is that it provides an improved breaker point adapted to maintain properly aligned relationship with another point during circuit making and breaking operation; another feature of this invention is that it is adapted to replace one or more of the fixed points in any conventional ignition system for internal combustion engines; a further feature of this invention is that various parts may be 1! simply and readily assembled, yet a rugged and long-wearing arrangement results; yet another a feature of this invention is that it maintains good electrical contact while permitting suificient freedom of movement to always enable the points to 20 be in properly aligned relationship; other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and the drawing, in which:

Figure l is a diagram, partly schematic, of a 25 circuit breaker embodying this invention arranged in a conventional type of ignition system for an internal combustion engine; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the movable breaker point and the supporting and retaining means therefor;

30 Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of the device shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a view, partly in section, along the line 55 of Figure 3.

35 It has long been recognized that, in order to repeatedly break a circuit having a substantial current fiow therein without undue destructive effect on one of the circuit breaker elements, the density of current flow per unit area should be 40 kept as small as possible. In the contact points commonly used in the ignition system of an automobile engine, for example, the two points or circuit breaker elements are made with flat contact faces adapted to make contact with each other 45 over a substantial area. Any advantage of this large contact area is lost, however, unless contact is made throughout the full area. Wherethe relationship of the points with respect to each other is fixed, as has heretofore been conventional 50 practice, the points frequently contact only at one edge.

In order to overcome this dificulty and secure the full advantage of the contact area, various attempts have heretofore been made to provide a 55 self-aligning circuit breaker element. Until quite .aligning points have been designed which, when 1 1 carefully and precisely made by hand, were satisfactory; but which required such precision in their construction that they could not be successfully made by ordinary manufacturing methods. Still others have provided a supportfor the movable self-aligning element such that it was not firmly supported, but moved in undesirable ways during usage, and others supported the movable element in such a way that rapid wear made the point useless.

More recently, self-aligning ignition breaker points have been designed which provide a firm support for the movable element while at the same time permitting the necessary freedom of action for the desired swivelling movement; in which the movable element is so firmly gripped or pinched that very good electrical contact, with consequent low resistance, is maintained, yet sufficient freedom of action remains that the point is self-aligning under ordinary usage; and in which the assembly comprises only three parts, a support, a spring element, and the movable element carrying the contact face. Such points are simple, light in weight, conveniently and readily manufactured, and adapted for use where any conventional breaker or ignition point is now being employed.

The present invention comprises an improvement on breaker points of the typev mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The device disclosed herein and embodying this present invention comprises a movable contact member with a contact face, a supporting member adapted to engage the contact member through a relatively large surface of spherical area to permit universal movement thereof while supporting it, and a ring adapted to encircle and engage portions of both of such members to maintain them in the desired relationship, this latter element being a split ring of spring material having a V-shaped cross section. This ring has proved superior to other spring retaining means, being conveniently placed in position during manufacture, having a long spring effect, and enabling considerable spring tension.

The particular embodiment of this invention here disclosed is shown in Figure 1 in an ignition system of a type commonly found in an internal combustion engine. Current for ignition purposes is supplied by a battery, as i0, which may have one side grounded. The other side of the battery is connected through the primary of a step-up transformer or spark coil II to one contact point I 2 of a pair of circuit breaker points. The point I 2 is adapted to cooperate with another point supported on a fixed part of the mechanism, this latter assembly being here referred to in general as l3. The point i2 is shown as mounted on a movable breaker arm I 4 of con ventional type, so that the two points are engaged and disengaged during operation of the engine as the result of movement of the rubbing block I 5 resulting from rotation of the cam IS. The opening and closing of the circuit breaker points, in accordance with standard practice, causes a high tension current of short duration to be generated in the secondary 'of the spark coil II, which current is generally applied to a spark plug or other ignition means.

Referring now more particularly to the assembly i3, illustrated in Figures 2 to 5, it will be 'seen that this comprises a movable element H, a

support I8, and retaining means IS. The upper movable contact member i! has a body portion which will hereinafter be more fully described, and a substantially flat contact face 20. As may be best seen in Figure 3, the body portion of the movable member has an external outwardly and downwardly sloping surface 2|, and the supporting member l8 has an inwardly and downwardly sloping external surface 22.

When directions are spoken of herein, as where it is said that the surface 2| slopes outwardly and downwardly, it will be understood that this description is with reference to the particular position of the parts as they are shown in the accompanying drawing. These words are, therefore, to be construed in connection with the position in which a device may be found.

The supporting member is here shown in the form of a stud adapted to be fastened in a threaded opening in a plate of the distributor head; but the support may, of course, be of any other desired general type, as, for example, a rivet adapted to be mounted in the movable breaker arm.

The upper end of the support member has the previously mentioned inwardly and downwardly sloping surface 22 and an actual support surface 23 in the form of an upwardly convex segment of a spherical surface. The surface 22 is also preferably an annular segment of a spherical surface; but the radius of this latter surface is larger, and its center preferably higher than that of the surface 23.

While it will be understood that the support member may be a single integral piece, it is here shown as formed of two parts. The lower or principal part has a concavity in the upper end thereof into which is placed a ball element 24. This ball element is preferably of hardened metal, as a small hardened steel ball. It is fixed in the concavity, either by wedging action or by other attachment, so that the two pieces form, for all practical purposes, a single supporting member.

The body portion of the movable breaker element l1 has in the lower part thereof a concavity adapted to receive and movably engage the semispherical surface 23 at the top of the supporting member. The surface of this concavity is a partlal segment of a sphere having a radius equal to that of the surface 23 and generated about a center concentric therewith. The outwardly and downwardly projecting surface 2| is also preferably an annular segment of a sphere concentric with the last two mentioned surfaces, although of larger radius. 22 are substantially equal, and the centers about which they are generated are on the same axis, although as here disclosed they are not concentric.

The retaining means IQ is in the form of a split ring of spring material, as spring steel, preferably formed in a V-shaped cross section. This cross section is so positioned that the center of the ring, speaking with respect to a line transverse thereof, is of greater diameter than the edge portions of the ring. These edge portions are adapted to engage the sloping surfaces 2| and 22 to urge the members I! and I8 together to maintain the desired relationship during aligning or swivelling movement of the movable member IT.

The split ring construction enables quite stiff spring material to be used, since the effective spring length circumferentially of the ring is quite long. This results in a strong spring with considerable accommodation, so that minor variations in manufacture do not have any substantial effect upon the finished assembly. Moreover, the spring may, because of its split construction, be very simply and easily placed in position about the two sloping surfaces.

While we have shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus of the character described, including: a contact member having a body portion and a contact face; a supporting member adapted to engage said body portion to support said contact member for limited universal movement; and a split ring adapted to engage external surfaces of both of said members to urge them together and maintain them in the desired relationship.

2. Apparatus of the character described, including: a contact member having a body portion and a contact face, said body portion having an outwardly and downwardly extending external surface; a supporting member adapted to engage said body portion to support said contact member for limited universal movement, said supporting member having an inwardly and downwardly extending external surface; and a split ring of spring material adapted to engage both of said external surfaces and arranged to urge said members together and maintain them in the desired relationship.

3. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 2, wherein the center portion of said ring is of greater diameter than the edge portions.

4. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 2, wherein the cross-section of said ring is V- shaped.

5. Apparatus of the character described, including: a contact member having a body portion and a contact face, said body portion having internal and external concentric partial spherical surfaces; a supporting member having a convex partial spherical surface, adapted The radii of the surfaces 2| and to engage the internal surface of said body portion to support said contact member for limited universal movement, and an inwardly and downwardly extending external surface; and a split ring of spring material adapted to engage the external surfaces of both of said members to urge them together to maintain them in the desired relationship.

6. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 5, wherein said ring is of sheet material formed in a V-shaped cross-section.

'7. A self-aligning circuit breaker element of the character described, including: a contact member having a body portion and a contact face, said body portion having a concavity therein; a supporting member having a concavity therein; an intermediate ball element partially.

received by each of said concavities, one of said members being fixed and the other movable with respect to said ball to provide limited universal movement between said members; and means urging said members together.

8. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 7, wherein each of said concavities are spherical in shape and said ball element is a hardened steel ball.

9. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 7, wherein said urging means is a split ring of spring material adapted to engage external sloping surfaces of said members.

10. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 5, wherein a pair of perpendicular bisectors through any two vertical sections of said inwardly and downwardly extending surface would intersect above the center of the partial spherical surface of the supporting member.

CLIFFORD E. IVES. JOHN MARK. 

